Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library
Association

Resolution on Subject Headings Relating to Class and Poverty

Adopted at 1996 Annual Conference

WHEREAS the American Library Association in 1990 adopted a "Poor People's Services Policy" that promotes, in part, “the ready accessibility of print and nonprint materja1s that honestly address the issues of poverty and homelessness, that deal with poor people in a respectful way, and that are .of practical use to low-income patrons"; and

WHEREAS that same policy encourages activities and programs "likely to reduce, if not eliminate, poverty itself”, and

WHEREAS Library of Congress subject headings can importantly affect access to vital library resources on hunger, homelessness, and poverty, as well as shaping library users' attitudes toward those topics; and

WHEREAS LC headings currently impede or distort access in much relevant material because of antiquated or insensitive language, coupled with a failure to recognize a host of significant subjects actually represented in library collections;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 1,800-member Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association urges the Library of Congress to (a) replace PUBLIC WELFARE and PUBLIC WELFARE ADMINISTRATION with the more familiar forms WELFARE and WELFARE ADMINISTRATION; (b) humanize the current heading POOR by transforming it into POOR PEOPLE; and (c) swiftly establish and assign these warranted and essential headings related to poverty, hunger, homelessness, and social policy: